Muslim GP faces disciplinary hearing for attack on gays
The president of the Islamic Medical Association is to face a disciplinary hearing after making a ferocious attack on gay people in Pulse, the magazine for GPs.

In the letter, Dr Muhammad Siddiq says that gays need the stick of the law to put them on the right path" and that they deserve neither help nor pity.

"There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen, wrote the GP, who is employed by the Walsall Primary Care Trust in the West Midlands, They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases." The letter went on to say that a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment was "twisted."

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a "cynical spoof" on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs. When the magazine checked with Dr Siddiq, he made no effort to deny that these were his views. Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

Dr Michael Irwin, co-ordinator of the Secular Medical Forum commented: "If Dr. Muhammad Siddiq holds these views, he should not be allowed to work within the NHS. And, if he has a private practice, his patients should be made aware of his opinion, so that only those with a similar bigoted outlook would be likely to see him. Looking to the future, I believe the GMC should require him to attend a Fitness-to-Practice hearing: then, if it is confirmed that he has been correctly quoted, his medical registration should be suspended."

Muslim GP faces disciplinary hearing for attack on gays
The president of the Islamic Medical Association is to face a disciplinary hearing after making a ferocious attack on gay people in Pulse, the magazine for GPs.

In the letter, Dr Muhammad Siddiq says that gays need the stick of the law to put them on the right path" and that they deserve neither help nor pity.

"There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen, wrote the GP, who is employed by the Walsall Primary Care Trust in the West Midlands, They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases." The letter went on to say that a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment was "twisted."

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a "cynical spoof" on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs. When the magazine checked with Dr Siddiq, he made no effort to deny that these were his views. Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

Dr Michael Irwin, co-ordinator of the Secular Medical Forum commented: "If Dr. Muhammad Siddiq holds these views, he should not be allowed to work within the NHS. And, if he has a private practice, his patients should be made aware of his opinion, so that only those with a similar bigoted outlook would be likely to see him. Looking to the future, I believe the GMC should require him to attend a Fitness-to-Practice hearing: then, if it is confirmed that he has been correctly quoted, his medical registration should be suspended."

Dr Siddiq's PCT disciplinary hearing will be held next week.

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............not of course that Dr Michael Irwin himself, or the organisation he represents, is free from bigotry, as is demonstrated by one of their fundamental tenets - 'We are opposed to religious influences in Medicine where these affect the manner in which medical practice is performed'.

I suppose it all boils down then to if you are the right kind of bigot or not.

Muslim GP faces disciplinary hearing for attack on gays
The president of the Islamic Medical Association is to face a disciplinary hearing after making a ferocious attack on gay people in Pulse, the magazine for GPs.

In the letter, Dr Muhammad Siddiq says that gays need the stick of the law to put them on the right path" and that they deserve neither help nor pity.

"There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen, wrote the GP, who is employed by the Walsall Primary Care Trust in the West Midlands, They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases." The letter went on to say that a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment was "twisted."

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a "cynical spoof" on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs. When the magazine checked with Dr Siddiq, he made no effort to deny that these were his views. Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

Dr Michael Irwin, co-ordinator of the Secular Medical Forum commented: "If Dr. Muhammad Siddiq holds these views, he should not be allowed to work within the NHS. And, if he has a private practice, his patients should be made aware of his opinion, so that only those with a similar bigoted outlook would be likely to see him. Looking to the future, I believe the GMC should require him to attend a Fitness-to-Practice hearing: then, if it is confirmed that he has been correctly quoted, his medical registration should be suspended."

Dr Siddiq's PCT disciplinary hearing will be held next week.

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............not of course that Dr Michael Irwin himself, or the organisation he represents, is free from bigotry, as is demonstrated by one of their fundamental tenets - 'We are opposed to religious influences in Medicine where these affect the manner in which medical practice is performed'.

I suppose it all boils down then to if you are the right kind of bigot or not.

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i fail to see how a desire for evidence based therapies is bigotry. It sounds to me like you have an axe to grind!

Before the accusations of homophobia start - no I don't agree with his views.

If this man's religion supports or even forms his view then I am afraid that in a free society he is quite entitled to hold these views. If he choses to publish these views, again in a free society he should be entitled to do so. If the magazine considered that the views were likely to offend anyone, then they had every right not to publish the letter. We may or may not agree with the views but most people would think he was ill-advised to publish his views - but then we probably don't understand his views and why he chose to make them public.

Would the GMC take a similar view of a devout christian doctor who had and expressed similar views (and some do)? Similarly what would the GMC do about doctors who refuse to perform surgery such as terminations due to Christian teaching on the sanctitiy of life.

The GMC should only be concerned with whether this GP allowed his prejudices to adversely affect the treatment he was giving. It is dangerous step to start telling people what they can and can't think.

Muslim GP faces disciplinary hearing for attack on gays
The president of the Islamic Medical Association is to face a disciplinary hearing after making a ferocious attack on gay people in Pulse, the magazine for GPs.

In the letter, Dr Muhammad Siddiq says that gays need the stick of the law to put them on the right path" and that they deserve neither help nor pity.

"There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen, wrote the GP, who is employed by the Walsall Primary Care Trust in the West Midlands, They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases." The letter went on to say that a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment was "twisted."

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a "cynical spoof" on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs. When the magazine checked with Dr Siddiq, he made no effort to deny that these were his views. Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

Dr Michael Irwin, co-ordinator of the Secular Medical Forum commented: "If Dr. Muhammad Siddiq holds these views, he should not be allowed to work within the NHS. And, if he has a private practice, his patients should be made aware of his opinion, so that only those with a similar bigoted outlook would be likely to see him. Looking to the future, I believe the GMC should require him to attend a Fitness-to-Practice hearing: then, if it is confirmed that he has been correctly quoted, his medical registration should be suspended."

Dr Siddiq's PCT disciplinary hearing will be held next week.

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............not of course that Dr Michael Irwin himself, or the organisation he represents, is free from bigotry, as is demonstrated by one of their fundamental tenets - 'We are opposed to religious influences in Medicine where these affect the manner in which medical practice is performed'.

I suppose it all boils down then to if you are the right kind of bigot or not.

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i fail to see how a desire for evidence based therapies is bigotry. It sounds to me like you have an axe to grind!

Ski.

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Can't make the connection myself. Evidence-based therapies has nothing to do with it. The key question is 'Do/have his views affected the standard of care he gives to his patients' (and this is far removed from does he like 'em), and not 'is the type of treatment he provides based on evidence?'

This question has not been answered, and cannot be until the PCT enquiry, if indeed there is going to be one, concludes. All else, until that point is reached, is mere conjecture and hype.

Before the accusations of homophobia start - no I don't agree with his views.

If this man's religion supports or even forms his view then I am afraid that in a free society he is quite entitled to hold these views. If he choses to publish these views, again in a free society he should be entitled to do so. If the magazine considered that the views were likely to offend anyone, then they had every right not to publish the letter. We may or may not agree with the views but most people would think he was ill-advised to publish his views - but then we probably don't understand his views and why he chose to make them public.

Would the GMC take a similar view of a devout christian doctor who had and expressed similar views (and some do)? Similarly what would the GMC do about doctors who refuse to perform surgery such as terminations due to Christian teaching on the sanctitiy of life.

The GMC should only be concerned with whether this GP allowed his prejudices to adversely affect the treatment he was giving. It is dangerous step to start telling people what they can and can't think.

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The second bold is really the only point that matters. My GP was a devout Christian pacifist who thouroughly disapproved of my decision to join the Army (as if I gave the smallest damn), he still did his best to support my application after it was rejected on medical grounds. As long as this doctor still does his job in a totally professional manner and does not break the hippocratic oath when treating the homosexual men, then leave him to his poisonous opinions.